Towel cabinet



` 16, 1941. R'. MORRIS 2,266,063

TowEL CABINET Filed June 22, 193s 2 .sheets-Sheet 1 R. MORRIS TOWELYCABINET 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1938 Patented Dec. 16, 1941 am @ma Y; Kamiel Morris; st.' Louis, Mo:,'as`sigh01to General Development Company; St. muisgMoga corpo--V ration of Missouri Application June 22, lcsaseialzno;ziiiesf f 7 s claims-1 (ossia-3cr' VThis invention relates to improvements in towel cabinets broadly, but more particularly to cabinets wherein a length of towelingis placed within the cabinet in the form of a roll', and is then fed in specified increments from time to time to furnish fresh wiping portions fOr thesuccessive users, each feeding operation unwinding the toweling from the supply roll and winding up rthe used towel-ing onto 4the used orsoiled roll.

Oneof the objects of my'in'ventionis to provide a cabinet of this kind,`es`pe`ci`ally adapted forvuse in public buildings, large establishments; stores, or in many other places, ,where relatively large numbers of persons may'use`toiletf'acilil ties, and wherein the operating means will'be extremely accurate in its winding and unwinding of the toweling, so that there will be no lateral shifting orsidesway of the latter and hence no stickingnor tangling of the toweling Vto fere with free rolling thereof.

Another object of the inventionisy to provide means in a device of this kind, wherein the toweling may be threadedjfrorn itsfreshorunused roll,.passing through and over suitable guide means to its securement to the used roll, and so that the rolling operations that are intermit--v tently given tothe toweling will always actuate the toweling in the samelongitudinal path V,and keep the toweling. smoothand even 'during the entire travel of the'same.

A furtherobjectof this invention is to provide, in a .device of thekinddescrlbed, means for frictionally unwinding. the length of rtoweling from the supply roll and onto the vused roll in unison, and in which the toweling is frictionally engaged at a pair of spaced intervals across. thewidth of toweling, this spacing being uniform and constant relative to the side edges of the towelingweb throughout the full length of the latter.`

-An added object of my invention is-t0 providemeans cooperating with said Vfrictionallyengaging toweling feeding means,l that will increase the eective arc of contact of th'e toweling with said friction means as .the toweling passes over the latter, and hence utility. of said friction means. f

`A still-further object :o1- my invention. is `Vto providein-a device of the kind described-,- means actuated by the towel propelling means, to limit thelle'ngth'of toweling withdrawnfrom the-supply roll at each stroke of the propelling means.

The.invention has among Vits other objects a device of the kind described thai-[shall be'V neat and attractive in appearance, sanitary in its operation and use, substantially simple and sturdy in con-struction and `operation so as to insure proper working of the same throughout-unlisually-long periods without `-accidentail-ly getting out of; working order; which will vbe positivem fits increase. the .f

operation', andlwillbe otherwise satisfactory and nicientfor use wherever deemed. applicatie,-

Many othenobjctsandadvantagesof the construction'herein shown anddes'cribed will 'be o b vioiisv to'v those` skilledin the art" to which' this invention `apper112121115,from the discio suresV here; ih'lgiveri. 1 l "Ifo 'this' end, my "invention vconsists in Vthe novel construction, arrangement and` combination of parts herein shown and described, and the uses mentioned; as A will .be more, clearly.v pointed out in the 'claims hereunto appended; l

In"the drawings, wherein like referencev .characters indicate like-sor corresponding parts interthroughoutthe views'. 4

' Figure 1 isarront elevationforftne cabinet,

wlth parts, brokenaway, in orderto show the' construction more clearly;. l y

, Figurejz -is a side 4 elevation of the same, with the casing in section;

Eigure is anotherslde eievation'of thede-l' vice, Ntaken .from the Y Opposite side of the fsam'e to that shown in Fig.2 ;1 i v Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectionaldetaikoi the towel guiding plates; Y Figure 5 is airagmentary v detail of the. towel lockingmeans; Figure 6 is a perspective detail .O ftheliipper f eedingroll; and Si y Figure 7 is a similar View of. the lower roll.

- .Referring more particularly to. the. drawings,

wherein I have illustrated a preferred fenibodif' ment of my invention, there is shown acabinet for -successively dispensing fresh portions of toweling upon consecutive operations ofthe de vice. `Although such cabinetsrare. wellfknown', they are not always reliable in theirjoperation, on Vaccount of the"v vrelatively v smooth toweling shifting laterallyl .during the feeding 'travel of the samepandsoon getting tangled,;tw isted,` or 'l otherwiseV cloggingup the device so that further operation is prevented' until repairs and adjustmentshave been made to th'el'same, f

The. device isprovided with'an exterior Ycasing oir-.cabinet YI, of any'desired'sizeg'shape'andjma terial, but provided With fajslot 01" o'peni11iv 2 across the lowerend thereof and through lwhich theiwiping portion of Ythe towelmay"dependforV use;` The. casing mayV be fsecured'to any' support, as tuali-upright wall surface, and intothis casing therel is inserted thetowel carrier and feed# nected togetherwitlf an upright back wall 4;'. A. length of `@Welling in 'trielfomora rou Vs, or supply uroll, is'v adapted to be "received in'the upper part ofthe framework, as. atray o rj'platf form 6 Placed at Sim'cient 'denuibelidi thetop' of the framework to accommodate lthe"1 .isuf`al'fsiVze roll without interfering with' perfect freedom of unrolling or unwinding of the roll. The lowermost or free end of the toweling is adapted to be detachably fastened thereat to a carrier roller 'I rotatably mounted below the tray 6 in a pair of slots 8--8 that extend through the sides 3 3 rearwardly for a short distance and thence downwardly and rearwardly, somewhat as shown,

such slots permitting ready insertion and A-re l moval of the roller 1. As the towelingisused, it is wound onto the roller 1, and in this description will `be referred to as the used roll, and when all of the toweling has thus been Wound onto the used roll, the latter may be removed' together with the roller 1, and a fresh supply roll inserted onto the tray and tli'e exposed en'd'o'f thesecond supply roll fastened to th'e ro'll'er 'I'.'rernoved from' the first'us'edioll".V Although the length ofA toweling in tne depending lo'o`p may beva'rled to suit the'ccnvenience when'setting" i'n the' towe'linjg'for use, I have found it satisfactory to use a lo'op of about eight inches of toweling, or thereabouts. One of Ytl'ie great problems in` using rolled toweling in cabinets has been the tendency of the toweliri'g't'o shift, rst to On'e'sde'and then to the oth'ei, duririgthfe Afeeding operations, inasmuch as it must be' kept in' Iilind "that the towelirig 'i`s '"rel`ative`ly'soft'emd smooth; This shifting is quite often sufficient to'jarn or tangle the toweling against one kvsi e' 'or"otl'1e`r "of the cabinet, and further operation of the device must be halted until repairs and vadjustments aremade. Therefore, I have provided severalY lnean's to insure that the travel of" tle towellng will be in a perfectly straight line between the supply r-lla'n'd the used roll, and that the feedl pull will'be nuniiorinl'y equalA on both sides of the center of the toweling, aS itflllnw beV described in further detail.

.A pair of feeding rollers' 9 and III are' ar-A ranged in parallel relationacross'tlie side plates of the carrier framework, the roller' `9"' being closely adjacent the supply'i'o'll' of towel'ng and over which the toweling travels, and the second roller I ilY visY positioned within theV framework adjacent the lower portion of the latter and rotatably supporting "the used' roll o'f toweling, as shown." The pain'of rollers 9 and' IIJ"'are interconnected by suitabledrive means such as the sprocket chain I'2,jso 'that they 'must 'rotate 'S'inltariouslyf' In order to` maintain 'uniform pull' at either of the "side edges of the toweling, and thereby tOrw Ul: i

prevent lateral shifting o'f the latter during travel of the lsane, I have found it highly effective, not only to "suitably rougheii the' carrier rollers l9 and I5, butin addition have these roughe'ned areas frictionall'y engage the webvo'f toweling in a predetermirl'edrnaner. Tothis end', I space rugliened Vcollars II-I I" on one or 'both 'of 'the rollers 9 and IIJ, theeoll'ar's I 'I-II' on the rollers being spacedl apart substantially' equal distances to either side of the center or median line of the roller, and having their side edges in plane parallel to the side edges of the toweling web, so that'as the towelingA travelsV during service, the' friction collars,- as for example, of sandpaper', will'track or'v draw 'along the toweling in perfectly straight paths exactly longitudinally of the'tbweling lengtnf# j j A weighted' bar"| '3 is mounted tofthe'top of the 'framework .so `as to `pivot"thereto and be supported; by'theupper roller lSI,Y and it is to` be notice-d that the vertical'` plane: through" the axis responding plane through the axis of the loller 9, whereby, when the toweling is passed between said bar and roller and extends downwardly from the latter, the arc of contact between the toweling and the friction collars I I-I I is greater .than 90.

Further guides for controlling the path of 'travel of the web of toweling are provided, as r'bya pair of upwardly Iextending plates III-I5,

substantially coextensive in Width with width of the'. toweling web, and the former extending across the sides of the framework adjacent the bottom of the latter substantially in front of the roller IB, and the latter plate I5 being pivotally mounted to said.framework so as to be moved closely "adjacent to saidV fixed plate and' form thenarrow slot, passage orguidewa;r` IQ therebetween; andl through which the' toweling' may be substantially snugly threaded to' avoid' slack and crumpling between the rolls, or be mo-vedaway therefromfor'easier threading operations of the toweling therethrough.

weighted rollers" |'14 ami- |8 whoseA length is substantially coextetisiv'e' with" the' Width of the toweling web, are' nrova'bly mounted' in the movable guide plate I5 'across the top' and bottoni edges of the same 'sofas to. engage the toweling adjacent the top andbottom of the guide' slot;

i. respectively, said rollers being mounted in slots extending downwardly and toward' theftowelng closely adjacent, and' whereby the' entire weight of the rollers bears4 against' the toweling there'- along fol' substantially the 'full web of 4the toweling. The'upp'er andV lower" edges of `the pair 'of guide plates may 'be' flanged, as at 'I9' and' 2U respectively; thefjupp'ef weighted roller l1 being slightly "above's'ai'd upper' harige, and the lower slirr'l'ilai 'roller I"8be`rlg' slightly lbelf'lw'v the Iw flange; side" guards in tneform 'of ribs zr-zl be provided t'0` extend' upwardly of' one f thecooperating guide plates, as'for instance on the platenl,v saidA ribsbeingspaced apart to conform substantially't ,the widtho'f ,tl'e toweling or web to be einplyed,ii the device and adapted to .bearagaist-forl orv both of` the 'side edges o'f the Atovlel web as the latter4 travels thelepast. The'oi'll'leV cooperating gll'lde plate, as for eXarpleftli'e plate' f5, is provided with V. recess' to permit. the free passage of the. ribs l'lerethrough when the' plates' ale" clcsest to-` gether in guiding'p'os'itiorf 1 Af pull on`A theexpo'sed' ,portion of" toweli-'rig depending beneath 'the cabinet will' unwind the toweling from `the-supplyrol-lf, and yas'it passes over thelto'pifeed roller sywfll rotate? the latter an amount corresponding' to the distance of pull oni the t`owelirlg,--this 'rotation f".tl'ie-,reller. -9 transmitting rotation to thei rolleLIOftlnzough the vsprocket gearing, andlth fric-:tional errev gagement of thezrojller.; I0 .andxused roll .of toweling rotating the latter-irrgaj direction -towind up the Samein proportion@ .thc-amount ,lmwound trom the'supply roll.; wwelina travels upwardly through*the` Passage beweeg Uhr uid@ plates and inwwliich the-side guards ierlbsrprevent lateralmshifting of the. toweiingfand tiie weighted rollersfat the. top and bottom of the guide'lplates'lsrhooth out the ftweling. andaSsst in' preventing any shifting of' the tweli'ng.'

fsometimes. it @arable-t6 lock the wwe-1mg afterja 'predetermined length" thereof has' been fedtofwipingiposition, so as' to prevent waste 'orjtl'letowelingf Il'lave-provide'd asimple means for temporarily -loclnn'glthe tovfnneaft'r al predetermined portieri kislbeefi" fed litosfre'slri Wipe ing position, the locking b'eing released as soon as the force feeding the toweling has been released. The roller lil carries a cam 22 adjacent one end, the cam provided with a stop shoulder 23 on its cam surface, and adapted to be slidably engaged by a pawl 24 pivoted intermediate its ends to the framework at 26, `so that when the pawl is pivotally moved in one direction it will ride on the cam surface of the cam 22 until the shoulder 23 reaches the pawl, and thereupon continued rotation of the cam is prevented while the pawl remains in latched position. This stops further feeding of the toweling for the time being.

A bar 25 is positioned across the lower portion of the framework, in the path of travel of the web travelling between the rollers 9 and HJ, so that the toweling must pass over said bar during its travel to the used roll, and to further insure this engagement of the toweling and bar, a spacer rod 3| may be interposed across the web just above the bar 25 and slightly rearwardly of the latter, so that the toweling rests on the upper edge of the bar 25. The bar 25 is provided with side arms 21-21 pivoted to the side plates of the framework at 28-28, and one of said side arms is extended past said pivot 28 to engage in an elongated recess in the lower end of the pawl 2s, this recess being slightly in advance of the pivotal axis on which the pawl is mounted. The initial movement of the arm will rst be independently of the pawl, as the elongated slot or recess 23 permits this lost motion or play, but a continued movement of the arm in the same direction will then actuate the pawl about the pivotal axis of the latter and actuate the pawl into cam-bearing position.

Hence, when the towel is grasped from beneath the cabinet, and of course beneath the bar 25, the rst portion of the pull will move the bar downwardly together with the toweling, the bar moving a small distance independently of the pawl, on account of the lost-motion between the two, but a continued pull on the toweling will swing the bar 25 further downwardly and the interconnection of the latter with the pawl will swing the pawl into its cam-riding position, in which it will remain during continued movement of the toweling. However, as soon as the toweling has been wound up suiciently to bring the cam shoulder into the path of the pawl, the parts will become locked against continued movement for the time being, and the operator will then release his pull on the toweling.

A spring 30 is connected between the bar 25 and the framework to retrieve the same to normal position as soon as the pull on the towel is released. As soon as the spring retrieves the bar to its initial position, the pawl shifts away from the shoulder of the cam. A fresh -pull will again permit the cam to rotate slightly before the pawl moves into cam-riding position, and will permit a full rotation of the cam before the shoulder is again engaged by and interlocked with the pawl. In the present instance, the pawl is so balanced that it tends to fall away from cam-riding position as soon as the force holding it there is released, but if so desired a spring, (not shown) may be added or substituted to function in the same manner.

Having thus described my invention, it is o-bvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form,

arrangement, and construction of the same set forth, except as limited by the state of the art to which this invention appertains and the` claims hereunto appended.

What I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a towel supply device, means to support a supply roll of toweling; means to support a used roll Aof toweling substantially parallel to said first roll; rolls of toweling supported on said means with a depending loop of toweling between the rolls; means to Wind said toweling onto said used roll while unwinding it from said supply roll; and guide means for smoothing said toweling while it is fed comprising a pair of upright plates spaced apart to form a passage therebetween through which the web of toweling passes substantially uniformly snugly from top to bottom of said passage, and rollers rotatably mounted on one plate and bearing against the other plate substantially the full width of the web of the toweling adjacent the upper and lower ends of said passage before and after said toweling passes through said passage.

2. In combination with a used roll and a suppiy roll of toweling, a towel cabinet, means to support said supply roll of toweling in said cabinet; means to support said used roll of toweling there- `below in said cabinet with a loop of the toweling depending from the cabinet; means to feed said toweling from the supply roll to the used roll; and guide means for smoothing said toweling adjacent said used roll comprising al forward and a rearward upright plate spaced apart for the full width of the toweling web to form an upright passage through which the toweling passes substantially snugly from top to bottom, rotatable rollers mounted on the forward plate constantly bearing against the full web of the toweling and pressing the same toward said other plate adjacent the upper and lower ends of said passage, and guides on said forward plate inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward said lastmentioned plate to receive the ends of said rollers and permit of bodily movement of the latter therein toward said latter plate.

3. In combination with a supply roll of toweling and a used roll of toweling, means to support said rolls of toweling; means to feed said toweling from the supply roll onto the used roll; and guide means for preventing lateral shifting of the toweling and for smoothing the same ywhile it is fed to said used roll comprising a pair of spaced upright plates to form a passage through which the web of the toweling passes, said plates being substantially cao-extensive in width with the Width of said web, and one of said plates having downwardly and rearwardly inclined grooves therein adjacent the ends of said plate, rollers each rotatably mounted on one of said plates and extending across said plates adjacent thev Y upper and lower ends of said passage and having their ends journalled in said inclined grooves to be bodily movable toward the other plate and pressing the toweling against the last-mentioned plate substantially across the full web of toweling, and an edge guide at a side of one of said plates and against which a side edge of said toweling may bear in its travel.

RAMIEL MORRIS. 

